a peek inside the fishbowl

Just catching up? Read yesterday’s post right here.

The cool thing about Kenauk Nature is that it feels remote, but it isn’t very far from civilization.

That being said, it was a bit of a rough road up to Twins Lake, but we felt safe and secure in our vehicle. I seriously doubt our Prius would have made the drive (which may be a barrier to my glamping goals, unfortunately).

This was the scene that greeted us when we arrived:

We had this whole lake all to ourselves! It was perfectly tranquil.

That tiny person in the distance is an angler that has celeb status in the world of fishing, Jamie Pistilli. Our group split up into two boats and, lucky us, he was our guide.

We piled in, and with a bit of gentle instruction, we all took turns with the rods. Those who weren’t actively fishing, alternated between staring out at the water and chatting.

The sun beat down on us, with occasional breezes cooling our skin. It was heavenly.

The fish nibbled but weren’t exactly willing to let themselves be reeled in, if you know what I mean. However, the nibbles were promising. This meant there was stuff happening under the water.

In the other boat, Ashley Rae, who is a professional angler, caught the first fish. Here’s Ashley with Tori McNeeley of Ottawa Life Magazine and writer/photographer Justin Hoffman.

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram you may have already seen my fish! [You can click the image below to enlarge.]

Fishing fun with @fordcanada today. (I smelled fishy the whole drive back, FYI.) #FordExpedition #ford_partner. pic.twitter.com/qyYvSJvr8f

— andrea tomkins (@missfish) September 14, 2018

In my previous post, I mentioned that fishing was very relaxing until the moment it suddenly becomes very exciting.

Everything happened very quickly but here’s how I remember how our boat’s catch went down. Someone hooked a fish and passed me the rod. I reeled it in for a bit, fumbling the whole time (“what am I supposed to be doing here exactly?”), and then Jamie saved the day and gave the final heave-ho and voila, we had a fish! Unfortunately, the poor thing was dropped, twice. Once on the floor of the boat and once in the water.

This photo by Justin perfectly captured the excitement… as well as the moment the fish went flying out of my hands (you can actually see it in the photo if you look closely):

The one that got away…
What an awesome ‘Expedition’ with @FordCanada in Quebec this weekend. Full feature coming to @wideopenspaces later this week! #FordExpedition #FordCanada #FordFishingExpedition #Ford_Partner pic.twitter.com/4mRwODGIzx

— Justin Hoffman (@HoffmanOutdoors) September 16, 2018

I got a lot of congratulations for catching the fish but it was totally a team effort. What I did do, however, was manage to get fish juice all over myself and stink up the car afterwards (sorry Ford)!

The experience was, in a word, amazing. I am so glad I had the opportunity to “catch a fish” for myself!

I should also mention that it died when it hit the water (sorry, fish) and  so we brought it back to Chateau Montebello, where it was cooked and served to us at dinner. (I’m pretty sure it had a heart attack. Who wouldn’t?) But I am getting ahead of myself.

We started with cocktails on Montebello’s terrace:

It’s truly a gorgeous space, with lots of cozy seating, planters, and sun umbrellas. It was always service with a smile here, which was so welcoming. At every turn, the staff was friendly and kind.

At seven we proceeded to dinner, which was outdoors (!). Everything was delicious, including our fish.

Take a look at this series of photos of everyone trying to get a shot of the final fish dish! There are a few to click through. The last one in the group is of the cooked fish before we dug in.

After dinner, we gathered around a fire and sang a terrible version of a great song (FERNANDO, by ABBA, if you must know) and kicked back and simply enjoyed the evening. Most of us went to bed at a decent hour. I walked back to my room through the grass in my heels and aerated the dewy lawn. (My shoes were full of dry grass the next morning. Go figure.)

The next morning there were multiple cups of coffee and trips to the breakfast buffet. Have I mentioned that the food here is amazing? We sat by the outdoor pool and soaked up the sun for a few hours:

… until it was time to pack up and take our leave.

The clouds started to roll in as we left; we took the ferry on the route home and back to reality. It was a fitting end to a lovely weekend away.

*In the interest of 100% transparency it’s important that you know that I attended this overnighter at the invitation of Ford Canada but my thoughts are entirely my own.

Before this past weekend, I’d never really been fishing before. Our daughters have fished under Mark’s supervision a handful of times during summer camping trips, but I was always on the sidelines or having a nap back at our tent.

I am very grateful to Mark, because he taught the girls some basic fishing skills (worm goes on the hook/hook goes in water/hook is removed from fish/repeat) but more importantly, he taught them that worms aren’t gross (along with toads, frogs, snakes, and all manner of creepy-crawlies) and that fishing is cool and fun and interesting.

I now have a whole new view of fishing: Fishing is very quiet and relaxing up to the moment it is breathless and exciting.

I need to backtrack a moment and describe the reason behind this epiphany. Ford Canada invited me and a few other media types for a little adventure this past weekend that included (a) a major test drive of the Ford Expedition (b) an outing on the water with some experienced anglers and (c) an overnight at Chateau Montebello. I knew this was something I had to do!*

First, the vehicle. We sure travelled in style, didn’t we?

The Ford Expedition was the perfect vehicle for this kind of adventure. We were, after all, a big group, with lots of stuff, going to a remote location. We all met at Campbell Ford and we divvied ourselves among three Expeditions… one of which had massaging seats but I didn’t get to try that out. With multiple passengers, flexible cargo space (fishing rods! duffel bags! suitcases! snacks!), it had lots of room in all of the right places. I called shotgun so I was truly able to sink into the comfort of my (air-conditioned!) seat and play with the stereo and nav console. I joked with Mark later that it was like a couch on wheels, but that’s not entirely accurate. This is what I imagine a first class seat on the Concord must have been like.

Our destination was Kenauk Nature, just north of Montebello. The location was already added to our GPS so after a quick farewell we were soon on our way. (More about Kenauk later.)

We were on autoroute 50 when I saw some tall grasses waving wildly in the ditch separating the highways. Then I saw a black-topped head. What is that guy doing in the ditch? I had just finished thinking that single thought when the “guy” turned into a bear and rambled out on to the highway! There was one other car between us and the poor bear. The driver, Tori, was amazingly alert and we swerved a bit but there was no harm done. (Thank you Tori!) We couldn’t tell if the bear was hit, he may have been side-swiped a bit, but I saw him running in the other direction so I assumed he was ok. What certainly helped was my elevated position in the Expedition, and the quick response of the driver, of course.

It was a bit of shock. We didn’t even spot a bear at this close distanCe in Banff! After that, I became the (self-designated) Wildlife Watcher. And there was more wildlife to come! We arrived at Kenauk without further incident, although we did spot a porcupine and some kind of giant hawk clutching a snake.

How to explain Kenauk? Kenauk Nature is wilderness retreat. You can book fishing trips to stocked lakes (which is what we did) and there are also a wide variety of accommodations available. (I’m secretly hoping Mark wants to go glamping with me in the fall.) I had never heard of this place before, so I was very excited to visit.

It was a smooth drive down the highway pretty much until we met at the front gates of Kenauk. From there, it was a bumpy, hilly, ride along a dirt road that was punctuated with rocks and the occasional pothole. Our Expedition coasted over everything, no problem. Tori often exclaimed how well it handled over the rough terrain (“See, you didn’t even feel that pothole, did you?”) while I exclaimed how well the cushy seats absorbed the impact.

This photo does not do it justice, but I will say, I felt extremely safe as we motored along these narrow roads:

We were treated to lunch at our first stop, which overlooked lovely Lac Poisson Blanc. This is also where the Kenauk fish hatchery is located.

Check out this view, would ya?

This was part of our lunch; it was amazing:

… I hope my tablemates weren’t dismayed by my lack of conversation. I was too darn distracted by the view. This was the view from the covered picnic area.

Our group was given a special demonstration of Ford’s parallel park assist feature. I’d done this before, but I tried it again. If you’re not already familiar with this feature, imagine a car that calculates the size of a parking spot for you, then slowly guides you in. At the press of a button, it takes over the steering while you control the gas and brake. It’s pretty amazing, although I had to fight the urge to grab the steering wheel. This is a feature I could definitely use. AND, it doesn’t just get you in a tight spot, it can also get you out!

Anyway, I have more to tell about our trip! In my next post, I’ll tell you about the fish that DID NOT get away. (And spoiler alert, it tasted pretty good too.)

*In the interest of 100% transparency it’s important that you know that I attended this overnighter at the invitation of Ford Canada but my thoughts are entirely my own.

I want to interrupt this narrative with a wee show n’ tell of a very pretty necklace I picked out while in Jasper.

I have been wearing it nonstop since we came back to Ottawa. I just love it so much.

It’s from a very cute shop called Ransom. We were waiting for a table at Famoso Pizzaria (which was one of the best dinners we enjoyed during our holiday!) and Ransom is almost next door, so we dropped in. I could have spent a lot more time (and $$) here. Check out their Instagram feed right here if you’re curious to see what else they’ve got in store.

I have a lot to say about Jasper, AB. Basically: I love Jasper! It’s hip and fun and young and outdoorsy without the pretentiousness of Banff. But more on that, later. :)